Saturday, January 31, 2009

Canadian Gold Maple Leaf

The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Coin is the 24 Karat gold bullion coin of Canada. The Royal Canadian Mint began production in 1979. The metallic composition is 99.99% gold. (The purity was 99.9% until 1982.) Canadian Gold Maple Leafs come in five troy ounce sizes: 1/20 oz, 1/10 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz, and 1 oz. The five types of coins have the same design but are denominated in Canadian dollars: $1 (.05 oz), $5 (.1 oz), $10 (.25 oz), $20(.5 oz) and $50 (1 oz).

The obverse ("heads") side features a bust of Queen Elisabeth II, head of state of Canada, designed by Arnold Machin. Gold Maple Leaf Coins minted in the years 1979-1989 show the Queen at age 39. Since 1990 the Queen is shown at age 64. The words "ELIZABETH II" are show in an arc across the top. The denomination and mint date are shown in an arc around the bottom.

The reverse ("tails") side shows the Canadian Maple Leaf. The Maple Leaf became the national symbol of Canada in 1965 when The National Flag of Canada with the Maple Leaf design was adopted. The world "CANADA" is shown in an arc across the top. The purity of the coin "9999" is shown on either side of the Maple Leaf. The gold content of the coin is in an arc around the bottom, for example, "FINE GOLD 1OZ OR PUR".

Here are a few interesting facts about Gold Canadian Maple Leaf Coins. By law the gold used to make the coins must be mined in Canada. A number of special issues have been made. These include a 99.999% gold coin, a colorized Gold Maple Leaf coin, a holographic Gold Maple Leaf coin, and a one million dollar denominated coin weighing 100 kilograms.